I am sorry to have to start this Thread, but, on behalf of Lance I have to tell you the sad news that our most beloved and prolific of posters, Ralph Stein, has passed away, his enthusiasm for everything, including life itself was a wonder to behold...

RIP Ralph, you were a truly special person and all of us who met you or interacted with you here on CMG knew that...

Nancy and I had the pleasure of meeting Ralph on a previous CMG meetup. From the start I admired his unflappable posting style on CMG and sought to emulate that without anywhere near the same degree of success. I'm sure there are many small kindnesses that Ralph gave during his lifetime that will remain untold. He offered an encouraging word from time to time as our daughter proceeded through law school here in Canada, and often remarked on how Canadian students did so well at Pace and other American law schools. He made a profound impression on me in the encounters I had with him here on the board. This weekend I will play Carl von Dittersdorf in memory of Ralph.

slofstra wrote: This weekend I will play Carl von Dittersdorf in memory of Ralph.

Henry does the work of this composer have special meaning for Ralph? I only have 2 of his works--have never listened to them:

DITTERSDORF Piano Concerto in A major

DITTERSDORF Symphony in a minor

Regards, Len

Ralph had a very wry sense of humour, which he frequently exhibited in his posts on the forum and never moreso than in his tributes to Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf. Here are a few culled from his posting history. I am told that his admiration for von Dittersdorf was genuine, however. Perhaps someone could verify this.

On where to begin with Dittersdorf.
"I would simply start with the sinfonias that NAXOS put out. A wonderful introduction to the man who taught later composers all they knew."

To Agnes Selby, who has posted frequently on the life of Mozart:
"Congratulations, Agnes. You're a true scholar whose research has enlightened many here. Now write about Dittersdorf!"

On Mozart:
"He certainly learned so much from Dittersdorf. I will listen to both today, snowed in as I am (again!)."

On a Happy Birthday, Beethoven thread:
Excellent! Thanks. Beethoven learned so much from Dittersdorf and we're all enriched because of that.

An exchange with Corlyss, concerning a famous conductor arrested for DUI.
Corlyss - Okay. Let's get serious. What was the music playing on the car stereo before he turned off the engine?
Ralph - I'm embarrassed to say that the Cincinnati media reports it was a sinfonia by Dittersdorf.

On Condoleezza Rice's pianism:
I understand that one of Rice's deepest desires is to study and perform Dittersdorf after she leaves office.

On his committment to CMG in a discussion on other forums:
I would burn all my Dittersdorf discs before I ventured to another site. It's CMG for me!

There were many such posts, which always brought a laugh. Finally, here is a serious discussion of von Dittersdorf's music, involving Ralph and others.

John F wrote:Here's a very pleasing string quartet by Dittersdorf, #5 in E flat, with a humorous finale showing that Dittersdorf taught Haydn everything he knew.

Pace e gioia, Ralph.

I did play this yesterday, and I'm sure this delightful music offered an emotional connection for Ralph. I would venture to say that it's possible that von Differsdorf taught Boccherini everything he knew, although I'm not so sure about all the others.

Dear Chalkie and CMG friends of several years ago, I wish to extend my own expression of heartfelt sorrow to just reading about Ralph's departure from this world. We were no longer communicating, of course. Ralph left first, and I followed, perhaps for a similar reason having to do with the public projection of what inevitably had to become more and more private in content. He sure was a good man, truly humorous, extremely knowledgeable about the meanings of being a good American citizen, culturally learned, well into the twentieth century, and I will remember him as a memorable virtual friend.
Yours,
Piston.

In the eyes of those lovers of perfection, a work is never finished—a word that for them has no sense—but abandoned....(Paul Valéry)

piston wrote:Dear Chalkie and CMG friends of several years ago, I wish to extend my own expression of heartfelt sorrow to just reading about Ralph's departure from this world. We were no longer communicating, of course. Ralph left first, and I followed, perhaps for a similar reason having to do with the public projection of what inevitably had to become more and more private in content. He sure was a good man, truly humorous, extremely knowledgeable about the meanings of being a good American citizen, culturally learned, well into the twentieth century, and I will remember him as a memorable virtual friend.
Yours,
Piston.

Jacques!

(Playing on French-Canadian sentiment, you see, but dead serious. )

There's nothing remarkable about it. All one has to do is hit the right keys at the right time and the instrument plays itself.
-- Johann Sebastian Bach

The original issue remains, dear old friend: it's simply too easy to place oneself in a compromising career position with so many overtures to respond to non-classical music topics. A few glasses of wine and, there you have it, a statement that can be read from Boston to Osaka, New Delhi, Tel Aviv, Prague, Amsterdam, Madrid, Halifax, and ... Augusta. E.g., quite an interesting electoral outcome in Maine, no?!

In the eyes of those lovers of perfection, a work is never finished—a word that for them has no sense—but abandoned....(Paul Valéry)

piston wrote:The original issue remains, dear old friend: it's simply too easy to place oneself in a compromising career position with so many overtures to respond to non-classical music topics. A few glasses of wine and, there you have it, a statement that can be read from Boston to Osaka, New Delhi, Tel Aviv, Prague, Amsterdam, Madrid, Halifax, and ... Augusta. E.g., quite an interesting electoral outcome in Maine, no?!

Hello piston. Nice to hear from you. I'm sure that on request Lance will gladly 'deep six' any thread that is the result of too many glasses of wine. Destroy the evidence, so to speak.

piston wrote:The original issue remains, dear old friend: it's simply too easy to place oneself in a compromising career position with so many overtures to respond to non-classical music topics. A few glasses of wine and, there you have it, a statement that can be read from Boston to Osaka, New Delhi, Tel Aviv, Prague, Amsterdam, Madrid, Halifax, and ... Augusta. E.g., quite an interesting electoral outcome in Maine, no?!

and dear Jacques, in Dublin too.

Seán

"To appreciate the greatness of the Masters is to keep faith in the greatness of humanity." - Wilhelm Furtwängler

Having gone on record remembering Ralph on the Pub thread, let me join all the friends who have posted here. Ralph brought the light of his intellect and knowledge to every issue he dealt with, and I join all the friends here in saluting an exceptional man and highlight of these e dicussions.

And greetings and best wwishes to friends I've met here: Chalkie, JBuck 919, John Francis, and all the others who have followed the flag of classical music carried by Lance.

Thinking about Ralph ... Listened to the Dittersdorf Requiem the other day. The last time Ralph appeared on CMG was January 14, 2011. He must have a tough time these almost last two years. Still, Ralph retains his second position on CMG as major poster (Corlyss remains first even now), with 20,996 posts.

I never did see an official obituary ... did one ever appear? Never learned how to reach his son Teddy either. Anyone know how to contact Teddy?